Evidence of meeting #15 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was schreiber.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I see.
Mr. Schreiber testified that Mr. Greg Alford was the senior vice-president and he handled all the donations, fundraising dinners and whatever what was.... He goes on to say, “he had cut the cheque for the Liberals in 1993 in the amount of $10,000 from Thyssen Bear Head Industries”.
Do you have any comment on what Mr. Schreiber testified under oath?
As an Individual
Any donations that were made from Bear Head Industries were always done formally, with complete registration. That sounds like one of the annual fundraising campaigns that might have approached us. There was one from the Liberal Party called Laurier Club and there was another one from the Conservative Party, and they campaigned throughout every category of industry to contribute in support of their campaigns. So it was entirely a formal donation with receipts and a formal record.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Did you not answer Mr. Dhaliwal that GCI didn't make any donations to any political party? I thought that was one of his questions.
As an Individual
No, I didn't answer a question....
Don't confuse the two timeframes. With all respect, there are two timeframes. I was at GCI until 1988, and any involvement I might have had with coordinating donations was to ensure that in a firm like GCI you get invited to attend each and every fundraiser held by a riding association or a national party, a provincial party. So we simply tried to coordinate our participation in these events so that we could distribute what we could in support of the worthy cause of members of Parliament getting elected.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
And in 1993, then, you donated $10,000 to the Liberal Party. Now, was that signed by Thyssen or Bear Head?
As an Individual
That was from Bear Head Industries. That was to participate in one of the national events. I think there was a series of conferences held, and there were similar events along the way. Typically I would be in those events and see all my competitors there. It was certainly an appeal to industry at large.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Which Liberal ministers would you have been lobbying post-1993 on behalf of Bear Head? André Ouellet?
As an Individual
Mr. Ouellet was the minister who had interest in Thyssen, interest in possibly attracting of some of our activity into the industrial development initiatives for Montreal, yes.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Which other ministers do you recollect meeting on behalf of Bear Head during that period?
As an Individual
The main ministers of interest would have always been the ministers responsible for industry and then those for the regional area of ACOA and then Quebec, I guess—the economic development initiatives of Quebec as led by Mr. Ouellet.
On the defence side, of course, we would attend, as would everyone in the industry, the presentations where the defence minister would speak, and that was probably the main focus.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Were you aware during 1993 and 1994 that Brian Mulroney was also lobbying on behalf of Bear Head?
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
The parent company never advised you that there was another Canadian engaged to lobby on behalf of the Bear Head project as well?
As an Individual
I knew everything about what was going on in Bear Head in Canada. My focus was Canada.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Schreiber also mentioned that you and Mr. Moores had some property dealings in Chaffeys Locks. Does that have any meaning to you?
As an Individual
Yes, it's my home town. Mr. Moores has a property on the same lake.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I see. You and Mr. Moores seemed to enjoy extraordinary access to the Mulroney Conservative government. Were you aware of the close personal connection of Frank Moores in getting Brian Mulroney elected at the convention in 1983 in Winnipeg?
As an Individual
Mr. Moores' role in the national campaign, in the leadership campaign, was absolutely public. So I was aware of it, as everyone who followed that might have been.
